In providing a taco holder for inclusion in retail food product packaging, among the considerations that must be addressed are the ease of assembly and use by the consumer; the efficacy for holding multiple tacos and the like without spillage or breakage during filling and possibly heating; the ability to hold tacos and the like for individualized servings; and the ability of the holder to be efficiently packaged in a retail container. In addition, where a device of this type is intended for use in commercially packaged food products, it should be capable of economical manufacture and incorporation in packages, and should be compatible with high speed packaging lines.
A disadvantage with some holders which provide good structural integrity is that they are expensive to make and not easily collapsible to facilitate packaging in a retail container. Other holders which are inexpensive to make and easy to package may be difficult for the consumer to assemble.
In the past, much effort has been directed toward creating an inexpensive, disposable holder that is both structurally adequate and easy to package in a retail container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,168 discloses a holder for multiple taco shells which is disposable, and can be maintained in a flat position prior to use. U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,010 discloses a taco tray which is made by converting the retail container that is used to package food items, such as taco shells.
A disadvantage of prior designs such as those disclosed in the '168 and '010 patents is the difficulty of assembling such units. The design disclosed in the '168 patent requires that in conjunction with forming several folds, several tabs and slots or glue strips must be employed in order to create the finished holder. The '010 patent requires that several perforated sections be removed from the box in order to form the taco holder. Additionally, once the taco holder of the '010 patent is assembled, the box is destroyed, and thus can no longer provide a means to store remaining unused product.